Tag: Federal Student Aid

News Roundup

Education Department Withdraws Recognition of Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools

The Education Department is withdrawing its recognition of the controversial Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), The Washington Post reported. The Education Department relies on accrediting agencies to determine whether colleges can participate in the federal student aid program. In a decision last Wednesday, Jordan Matsudaira, deputy undersecretary for education, deemed ACICS unfit, […]

June 4, 2021

COVID-19

Study Shows Decline in Federal Student Aid Filings from Potential College First-Years in California

Federal student aid applications from potential college first-year students in California fell 14% between mid-March and mid-August of 2020, after the onset of the COVID-19 crisis last March, according to a recent study published in Educational Researcher. University of Missouri (UM) public affairs professor Oded Gurantz and UM PhD student Christopher Wielga served as the […]

February 11, 2021

News Roundup

Whistleblower Says Ed Dept Rejected Website That Eased Loan Forgiveness Process

A whistleblower has filed a complaint saying the Department of Education rejected a website that eased the process of applying for student loan forgiveness, reported U.S. News. A spokeswoman for the Education Department refuted the whistleblower’s contention. Late in May, President Donald Trump vetoed a resolution that would have made it easier for students defrauded […]

June 24, 2020

Students

Education Department Officially Bars Emergency Pandemic Aid to Undocumented Students

The Department of Education on Thursday formally issued a rule, which was earlier a guidance, blocking emergency COVID-19 education aid to undocumented, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) and other college students who aren’t eligible for federal aid. However, the department did add that the rule won’t apply retroactively, that is, it won’t enforce the […]

June 12, 2020

COVID-19

COVID-19 Impacts FAFSA Completion as Deadlines are Extended

Amid all of the challenges facing college students this year due to COVID-19 related closings and cancellations, one of the major considerations for those already enrolled, or in the process of enrolling, is financial aid. At this point in the school year, continuing students and incoming freshmen are in the process of filling out the […]

April 23, 2020

Students

Education Department Upgrades Website to Better Explain Student Loan Information

The U.S. Education Department has upgraded its student aid website, studentaid.gov, with several new features. According to a press release, the site now offers an “Aid Summary” which provides students with detailed information regarding grants and loans they have received; a “Loan Simulator” which suggests and compares personalized loan repayment plans; and a “Make a […]

February 25, 2020

Latest News

Improvements to FAFSA Eagerly Anticipated

Speaking at the National College Access Network (NCAN) conference earlier this week. Mark A. Brown, COO of Federal Student Aid (FSA), talked about the importance of making college accessible.

September 19, 2019

News Roundup

Mark A. Brown Appointed Chief Operating Officer of Federal Student Aid

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has announced the appointment of Mark A. Brown as chief operating officer of Federal Student Aid (FSA). Brown spent more than 32 years as a military service member and is a retired major general in the U.S. Air Force. Prior to his new role, Brown was the deputy commander […]

March 4, 2019

Students

Michigan Democrats Propose Free Community College Plan

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s House Democrats want the state to provide full-tuition scholarships for community college students. Lawmakers announced the plan, titled the HirED Opportunity Act, in the Capitol on Monday. It would grant the scholarship to recent high school graduates who enroll fulltime in a community college. They must maintain a 2.0 grade […]

May 22, 2018

Home

More Louisiana Students Applying for Federal College Aid

BATON ROUGE, La.  – A growing number of Louisiana’s high school seniors are applying for federal aid to help cover college costs, a boom in applications pushed by state officials. The education department says 65 percent of high school seniors, nearly 27,000 students, submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid by a July 1 […]

July 16, 2017

Students

Incoming Federal Student Aid Boss ‘Could Be Great, Could Be Terrible’

The private student loan company executive selected to head the Federal Student Aid agency (FSA) is affiliated with a company that a federal judge recently described as “very aggressive” about fighting efforts to discharge student loans, court records obtained by Diverse show.

June 21, 2017

Students

DeVos Plans to Name Financial Services Exec as Student Aid Boss

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said Tuesday she plans to appoint Dr. Arthur Wayne Johnson — a longtime financial services industry executive who recently wrote a dissertation on private student loan debt — as chief operating officer of Federal Student Aid, or FSA. “Wayne is the right person to modernize FSA for the 21st […]

June 20, 2017